Called white plague, white blotch and other names, depending on the pattern of damaged or destroyed tissue, the disease has infected more than 20 South Florida coral species from the mid-Florida Keys through Palm Beach County.

Every piece of plastic rubbish has a story, so it also makes me wonder about the chain of events that led to that particular item ending up in the deep ocean, and whether any of those events could have been prevented.

Sea level rise and catastrophic coastal flooding could come early to the US Atlantic coast. So sea water in the streets of Florida or drowned towns on offshore islands will not necessarily be blamed upon global warming.

Oil drilling was banned along the entire Sonoma County coast when President Obama expanded Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary in 2016. Now the Trump administration is considering reversing that decision.

The ocean is losing oxygen due to nutrient pollution, the effects of climate change, and decreased mixing of marine layers. These are a few ways that could help predict catastrophic loss of ocean oxygen.

Later this year, an army of small swimming robots is set to plumb the mysteries of oceans around the world. Each one will have its own mission, as defined by citizen scientists interested in everything from reefs to "robomussels" that can self-monitor temperature.

Without oceans, there would be no life on earth as we know it. But they are under more stress than ever, thanks to overfishing, pollution, and climate change. This World Oceans Day, here are six things you can do to save the seas.

With millions of tons of plastic waste being dumped into the sea every year and barely any ocean area free of such pollutants, the environmental impact on marine life and species is tremendous. Take a look at the hazardous effects of plastic pollution on our oceans.

In the two minutes it took you to read this article, more than 60,000 pounds of plastic were dumped into our oceans. That plastic could very well have profound health consequences for you and the ones you love.

Plastics recycling, ocean pollution and program investments were among the sustainability topics at the first Plasticity Forum in California. While noting that the U.S. is far from ideal on plastics recycling, California is so far ahead of other areas.

Would you like a side of plastic with your fish dish? Well, you might get it whether you like it or not. Ocean plastic pollution is pervasive. Scientists are trying to figure out the impact on human health.

While it's true the oceans can provide us with some amazing eco-solutions like alternative energy, they are undergoing some serious stress factors. Here are the seven biggest problems, plus some light at the end of the tunnel.

The discovery of microplastics in deep water means scientists may have underestimated the extent to which plastic trash is contaminating the ocean – and its impact on fish, marine mammals and seabed dwellers.

Yet the ocean is still home to treasure troves of biodiversity, and evidence is mounting that protecting such significant local areas builds resilience to climate change—and can even help regenerate what has been lost.

Without human intervention, many of the region’s beautiful beaches may disappear by 2100 as sea levels rise. If the Golden State wants to save its golden shores, it will have to add sand to them—and lots of it.

The Ocean Cleanup's technology uses long floating rubber barriers with nets below the surface that act as a sort of artificial coastline, passively catching and concentrating debris using the power of the ocean's natural currents.

The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is teaming up with the Monterey Bay Aquarium and others to reduce or eliminate single-use plastics like straws and beverage bottles from their cafes and gift shops.

Researchers at Stony Brook University, in New York, analyzed the effects of rising ocean temperatures on two of the most toxic types of algae and found growths are becoming more widespread and profiling through the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans.

More than two-thirds of the coral in Australia's Great Barrier Reef is experiencing "shocking" amounts of bleaching, new aerial surveys have revealed. The Australian government says climate change is mainly to blame.

The researchers documented the extent of the damage the reef off the coast of Australia, and found that only 8.9 percent of more than 1,000 reefs escaped with no bleaching along a stretch more than 2,300 kilometers long.

Latinos Marinos meet with legislative staff in Sacramento as part of Ocean Day 2017.The 12th annual Ocean Day 2017 drew over 100 representatives from some of California's leading coastal advocacy organizations.